Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

After the cupping, Wang An immediately felt much more relaxed, as if all the fatigue accumulated over the past month had been forcibly drawn out by the cupping.

After the cupping was finished, Wang An turned to Huang Zhong and asked:
"Come on, Xiao Zhong, let me give you a cupping treatment too?"

Wang An certainly knew how to use cupping, but his technique wasn't very proficient.

To everyone's surprise, after Wang An finished speaking, Huang Zhong shook his head vigorously, saying:
"No, I don't do cupping. My mother did it for me once before, and the skin where the cups were applied hurt for more than a month. The burning sensation was so painful that I had to sleep on my stomach."

Wang An was taken aback at first, then burst out laughing:

"It can't be that serious, can it? Cupping feels so good, it makes your whole body feel great."

"No, even if it feels good, I won't pull it out. It hurts, I can't stand it." Huang Zhong continued shaking his head like a rattle drum as he spoke.

It's clear that Huang Zhong really dislikes cupping.

Wang An laughed a few more times and said:

"Alright, fine, don't bother removing them then. Just keep these cupping jars safe and make sure they don't get bumped or damaged. When you get home, tell your dad and mom to store them properly too. The longer they're stored, the more valuable they become."

As they were talking, Wang An picked up a cigarette case, gave one to Huang Zhong, and smoked one himself. The two brothers then began to puff away.

After finishing his cigarette, Wang An went out of the house and picked up the two little babies, one on each side.

Holding his two little babies in his arms and smelling their faint milky scent, Wang An felt that his whole world, just like the names of his two little babies, was instantly filled with happiness and joy.

Wang An kissed each of the two little ones on the cheek, then asked with a smile:
"Tell me, have you two missed your dad?"

Although he is his biological father, the child felt a little unfamiliar with him after not seeing him for a month. Of course, it was only a little unfamiliar; they still recognized their biological father.

Happiness was muttering something in her little mouth, and then she reached out her milky white hand and pinched Wang An's big face. Seeing this, Joy also reached out and pinched Wang An's other cheek.

Wang An didn't dodge, and his two big faces were immediately pinched and deformed by the two little babies, but Wang An's laughter became even louder.

Perhaps it was Wang An's laughter that sparked it, or perhaps it was the amusement of seeing her father's face being pinched out of shape, but happiness and joy also joined in with "giggle giggle."

For a moment, the entire living room was filled with the happy laughter of the three men.

Just as Wang An was interacting intimately with the two little ones, his older sister Wang Xiaomei and younger sister Wang Xiaoli came over with big smiles on their faces, while Xiao Lai and Huang Ying stood next to the sofa, looking at Wang Xiaomei and Wang Xiaoli with smiles on their faces.

As soon as they sat down next to Wang An and his two friends, Wang Xiaomei and Wang Xiaoli began to coax Wang An, saying:

"Big brother, I miss you so much."

"Big brother, I miss you so much too."

As they spoke, Wang Xiaomei and Wang Xiaoli each grabbed one of Wang An's legs and swayed it.

Upon seeing this, Wang An chuckled and said:
"What? You two want me to hold you too?"

The quirky Wang Xiaoli shook her head and said:

"I'm a big kid now, I don't want you to hold me, I just missed you, brother."

Wang Xiaomei also said with a smile:

"Yeah, big brother, I miss you too."

Although Wang Xiaomei is the older sister and Wang Xiaoli is the younger sister, it's usually Wang Xiaoli who makes the decisions or takes the lead. This is mainly because Wang Xiaoli is quite cunning; she's always coming up with a mischievous idea. Wang An reached out and patted each of his two younger sisters on the head, then continued with a smile, asking:

"You just missed your older brother, right? And that's it, nothing else happened?"

Wang An knows his two younger sisters all too well. For the first two years, they would snuggle into their older brother Wang An's arms, but since starting first grade, they haven't been as fond of doing so.

Wang Xiaomei chuckled again, secretly glancing towards the kitchen. Seeing that Liu Guilan and Shen Wei were focused on cooking and hadn't noticed the living room, she whispered:
"Big brother, could you give my sister and me some money? We want to buy some good food."

Wang An raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled, and asked:
"Delicious food? What delicious food do you want to buy? Didn't I buy you guys a huge ton of delicious food before I left? And you four have already eaten it all in just one month?"

Before Wang An and his three companions went into the mountains, Wang An did indeed buy a lot of snacks and treats at the county supply and marketing cooperative, including fruit candies, milk candies, sour plum powder, biscuits, peach crisps, instant noodles, steamed rice cakes, canned goods, soda, and dried fruit strips and fruit slices made from unknown fruits. In short, Wang An bought every kind of product that the supply and marketing cooperative had.

The main reason was that Wang Dazhu and his wife were reluctant to spend money, and Huang Baoguo and his wife, as well as Shen Wei, were even less willing to spend money. Wang An was very worried that his two little sisters would not have any snacks after he went into the mountains, so he bought a lot of various kinds of snacks to keep there.

As for Wang Yi, Wang An wasn't worried at all, because every week when Wang Yi went home for vacation, Mu Xueqing would give him a large sum of money as pocket money, and he could buy whatever he wanted.

After Wang An finished speaking, Wang Xiaoli grabbed Wang An's arm and shook it, pouting as she said:

"There's only canned food, biscuits, and malted milk powder left. My older sister and I don't want to eat any of that. I want to eat figs, plum powder, and drink soda. Oh, and I also want ice cream."

Wang An thought for a long time before he remembered what "fig" and "sour plum powder" were.

The so-called "fig" is just a name; it has absolutely nothing to do with the real fig.

Because this thing is actually made of shredded radish, in a small paper bag about the size of your palm, it's sour and salty, and tastes quite peculiar.

By the 1990s, this thing had many names, such as "Tang Monk's Flesh" and "Diamond Silk," with all sorts of bizarre names.

"Sour plum powder" comes in a small paper bag about the size of your palm. It's just powdery powder that you lick and eat. It's sour and sweet, and quite appetizing.

Wang An basically granted every request from his younger brother and two younger sisters, nodding and smiling:

"How much money do you want? Does the small shop in our village sell them?"

Wang Xiaomei and Wang Xiaoli immediately nodded like chickens pecking at rice, saying:
"Yes, the small shops in our village all have them."

Wang An glanced at the two little girls, then at Xiao Lai and Huang Ying, reached into his pocket, pulled out a two-yuan bill, and handed it over, asking with a smile:

Here's two yuan for you. Is that enough for the four of you?

Wang Xiaoli took the money and immediately smiled happily:
"Enough, enough, hehehehehe."

Turning her head, Wang Xiaoli called out to Xiao Lai and Huang Ying:
"Xiaoying, come here, let's go."

After Wang Xiaoli finished speaking, she took the lead and ran out the door. The four girls each got on a bicycle and sped away from the yard.

It has to be said that children are really easy to please.

Wang An watched the four girls' retreating figures, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

The world of children is wonderful!
Turning his head, Wang An continued to interact affectionately with the two little ones.

After a while, Wang Dazhu suddenly came into the room and said to Wang An:
"Xiao An, after you finish eating, go to the village office and call your brother Wu back. He called you a few days ago." (End of Chapter)